AVOIDING IMPLOSION

I am working on my fourth week of having a plethora of craftsman in and out of my "new-old house".  I love the charm of this old house, but with age comes the need for a LOT of maintenance.  As the old saying goes, one thing leads to another.  The chimney sweep/all things roof is coming back for his third time today.  AND we have another trip planned for when the cool weather finally shows up and he replaces the gas logs.  The things I really find slightly irritating are those unseen--below the surface.  The first order of business after I signed on the dotted line was having layer upon layer of old dusty insulation taken out.  A sure sign of this need was the dust bunnies dangling from the vents.  They then sprayed in foam insulation--the latest thing in trying to keep your utility bills down.  If the attic is clean, then you must think of the delivery system for the cool/warm air-the duct work needs cleaning.  I will NOT EVEN tell you how gross that was.  AND on and on it has gone--the plumber came, the HVAC tech came, the lawn maintenance men have made their first trip to tame the jungle, AND the painters came and spent two weeks with me--ONLY working on the interior.  It is an on going process with a list of priorities being checked off one job at a time.  The end is NOT here---it will be months---because this all takes time and resources to accomplish.  The end result will be a home which looks cared for and loved.

Here is the thing about all this, unless I keep up with the maintenance it will all be for naught.  I can work like a beaver and get it all ship-shape and looking like a shiny penny, but if I do not continue to do the necessary chores it will return to the state from which it came.  I believe this is the theory behind all things returning to their original state if left on their own.  Drive by any old house that has seen a better day and you will see an example of what I am speaking of---slowly but surely it will end up in a heap rotting and corroding into dust eventually.

So it goes with our physical bodies, if we do not maintain them---they will weaken and at some point we will revert back to the point from which we started.  Muscles will wither with neglect, our minds will dull without stimulus, and our bones will break if we have not strengthened them with weight bearing exercise.  We will slowly but surely implode inward to the state of frailty and confusion.  BUT we can exercise both our bodies and minds and maintain at best and perhaps slow down the inevitable decline.

Does this relate to our souls also?  Do we need to maintain our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  What can we do to not fall back into our former ways before we knew Jesus?  Feed the soul with righteousness, exercise with a regular dose of The Word, and communicate with The One whom we love.  He is there---ALWAYS---we are only responsible for keeping an open ear, seeing His vast creation, and acknowledging His work in our lives.  All it takes is daily maintenance to stay in top form and near The Throne.

"Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.

Bodily fitness has a certain value,

but spiritual fitness is essential,

both for this present life

and for the life to come."

I Timothy 4:8